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Charlotte Chamber of Commerce holds a monthly “after hours” network meeting - great to meet loads of people, outside of normal working hours and not eating into prime time.

In my last blog,  point number 6,  I suggested following up with people you meet - regardless of how valuable a contact they seem.

At an “after hours” last week an attendee, who was a grant writer, was there looking for work.  They had no business cards and a hefty resume, that did not reflect what skills they had,  a copy of which I declined to take - sorry I am not hiring, not a recruiter and I did have a lot to carry already.

BUT  I did spend time with the person - what’s 10 minutes between new acquaintances and I was not entirely sure what a grant writer did so I learned something.

After a few minutes I asked “are you on Linkedin” - response “no”.  I continued “are you using any social networking media - response “no”.

My reply - “OK, drop me an email with your details and I will keep an eye out for you”.  For those of you that know me this was not an idle promise.

Well, I have heard nothing.  No email, no follow up, no “thanks for your time”.  Guess what, I have found someone that wants …………. you got it ………….. a grant writer.  But I have no way to contact the “networker”.

The lesson from this story - don’t waste your time networking if you are not going to get prepared, not going to make it easy for people to network with you, not going to follow up OR if you are expecting instant results.

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Who would think these two would make a good couple; Twitter, super popular low touch online community and your local Chamber of Commerce, old school community where face to face interaction is the rule.  Well let me tell you the two neighborhoods are not as far apart as you might think. 

The next time you meet and greet at a Chamber event instead of passing out business cards like some over cafinated postal worker, ask the people you meet for their Twitter id and propose a reciprocal Twitter exchange. For those who don’t know, Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service, which allows users to send and read other users’ updates or tweets and registering as someone’s “follower” is the prerequisite to receiving their tweets.

For each person engaged in this way you immediately gain the reach of their extended Twitter network and them yours. Here’s how the story might unfold. You approach someone who seems friendly enough.  After exchanging business cards, elevator pitches and of course Twitter id’s your friend retrieves his Blackbery from its holster and starts typing a note that reads, “At Charlotte Chamber event meeting with the most interesting person (that’s you).  You folks should consider following him”.  In minutes your Blackberry buzzes and you see that you have 30 new people following your Twitter updates. 

At your average Chamber event there are only 15 to 30 minutes reserved for networking; just enough time to connect with 2 or 3 people at best but a single connection with a fellow Chamber Twitterer exponentially increases your level of exposure. If the person you speak to is not a Twitterer, consider your talk a great opportunity to introduce a groovy (did I just say that?) new business building tool. One quick tip here; be sure to add your Twitter id to your business card and other marketing collateral materials.

See, the Chamber can be cool too… 

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Since everyone at Customer Flypaper is talking email newsletters of late, I thought I might as well jump in.  Speaking opportunities along with well connected members make the Charlotte Chamber or any Chamber for that matter a great place to win new subscribers for your email newsletter.  Below are several opportunities that can, if approached correctly, lead to a subscriber flood.

1. Networking Events: If you attend networking events, why not make the most efficient use of your time by inviting those you meet to subscribe to your newsletter? Offer a free gift to sweeten the pot (free e-book, whitepaper or teleseminar mp3).
2. Speaking Engagements:  Should you participate in panel discussions, forums and other Chamber speaking engagements, tactfully solicit subscribers for your newsletter.  One way to do this is to organize a drawing where the participants register for your newsletter by submitting a business card for a chance to win a gift (audio book, Starbucks gift card, etc.).
3. Board participation:  At first look you might wonder why waste your time serving on a Chamber board but this is were the Chamber’s power elite congregate and by having a few of these influencers on your list you can reach hundreds.  Once a member agrees to join your subscriber ranks, ask your fellow associate to forward each issue of your newsletter to others in their contact sphere.

No matter the Chamber event you choose to attend or the project teams you work with, the bottom line is to always ask your acquaintances to subscribe to your newsletter.  Just one more way to beat the Chamber business card exchange blues.

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Let me give you ths short version of what could be a long story.   BusinessFirst is a joint program between the City of Charlotte and the Charlotte  Chamber where subscribing members are profiled to determine specific pain points then matched with resources to help solve their particular problem.  The Chamber’s membership and resource base is so wide that there are few problems that BusinessFirst can’t help solve.

I have witnessed companies with cash flow issues, zoning problems, construction, human resource and  marketing challenges all helped through the BusinessFirst program.  The keys to engaging BusinessFirst are to first step up and contact the program manager (Ashley Hendrick) and then take some time to define in detail your business’s issue, clearly articulating the outcome you want to realize.

As I have been saying, success through the Chamber requires more than handing out business cards at networking functions.  Member success comes from having a thorough understanding of the available opportunities and forming a plan to make use of the programs that will work best with your organization.

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As the economic cloudburst persists, businesses continue to search for their life raft. One of the best ways for businesses to manage through an economic slump is to collaborate, building synergy and spreading costs in the process. Producing a joint educational video is a terriffic way for businesses to join forces. 

Collaborating in this way allows you to spread your production costs across the partner businesses, deliver content with a broader appeal and exponentially expand distribution as all partners receive exposure each time an individual collaborator circulates the video (online or offline).  Below are several tips to get you off and running.

1. Choose a partner business or businesses whose products or services compliment your own
2. Decide on the content and discussion points for your presentation.  I find it best when each collaborator does his or her presentation separately vs. mixing the content.
3. Locate a good venue to deliver your presentation.  Working with your local Chamber of Commerce or an area trade association is perhaps the best option because these organizations often use educational seminars to enhance member value, and will get the cheeks in the seats for you.
4. Use the finished video as a free giveaway to encourage mailing list registrations or prospect inquiries
5. Generate revenue by selling your video (to local trade and professional associations as member incentives, to individuals from your website, at public speaking engagements, use your imagination here…)
6. Get valuable eyeballs by broadcasting the video from Chamber or professional association websites (be sure to ask for a return link to your site)
7. Pitch your video or a segment to popular bloggers who reach your target audience

If you have experience marketing through collaborative video, share your experiences as comments to this post.

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My blog partner Kristina is always going on about the importance of good public relations as a key ingredient in a successful marketing strategy.  I believe that I am accurate in saying that most Charlotte Chamber members overlook PR opportunities within the Chamber.  From print to web, the Chamber has a host of media properties just itching to feature your company and content including:

1. Ventures Charlotte Magazine: Quarterly print publication
2. eVentures Newsletter (click here): Monthly email newsletter
3. Chamber Blog (click here): Daily musings on Charlotte Chamber developments and general Charlotte business topics
4. Chapter and Council Communications (click here):  Monthly communications distributed to the members of local area chapters and industry councils. 

The main advantage of seeking Chamber media attention is targeting.  With three to four thousand member businesses, the Chamber audience is a perfect place to go fishing.  You can pitch a news story about your business or an educational article to the editors of the various print publications and position yourself as an expert in a guest blog post. 

Your feature opportunities are limited only by your creativity. Just remember the golden rule of PR that you must tailor your story pitch to the publication’s audience, answering the question in the editor’s mind, “why should I care?”

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Let’s face it the Charlotte Chamber and related organizations need to make a buck and event sponsorships make sense but what’s in it for you?  If you work them right event sponsorships can be a gateway to new business relationships. 
 
Notice I say relationships here.  Get the thought out of your mind that you are going to setup your fancy tradeshow display, hand out some brochures and a contract will be inked immediately.  This doesn’t work with networking relationships, nor will it work here.  To influence a purchase decision, you must hit prospective customers with your message and brand multiple times; so sponsorships can be a very strong introduction if executed properly.
 
Okay, so now we know what not to do. Below are several things you should consider in executing your Charlotte Chamber sponsorship strategy.

1. Make your talk educational:  Pick a problem that your business solves making sure it’s one  that keeps your prospects awake at night. Focus the day’s presentation on creative ways your business’s solves this problem.  Hand out sales sheets detailing several solutions.
2. Mailing list:  While you should ask each individual you meet that day if it’s okay to add them to your mailing list (asking is a must for avoiding spaming prospects in the future), one sure fire way to get everyone to opt in is to give something cool away using a business card drawing.  Let everyone know that by placing their card in the jar, they get your free newsletter and a chance to win your new back scratcher or whatever your giveaway is.
3. Your talk:  At these events title sponsors usually have an opportunity to deliver a short presentation to the group. I have had great success with this opportunity by entertaining the crowd with a contest.  I offer to give $100 to anyone who has a business issue that in 15 seconds I cannot dig a solution from my company’s offerings.  I usually pick three people and we have a lot of fun but more importantly, I and my business are always remembered.

Now dust off your company name tag and call your Chamber sponsorship coordinator.  What are your experiences with Chamber sponsorships?

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“Get Service” is yet another reminder of the importance of connecting with people.  The core of all business is making that connection but too often we wear our selling hats instead of our human being hats.
 
Do you eye a roomful of networkers like a hungry tiger ?
 
I recently met a woman who is very strategic in her networking; she targets a couple of people per networking meeting—exclusively decision makers.   She considers everyone else a waste of her time.   
 
While I agree on strategic networking,  I’ve found that if one uses this as their only approach—it can also be limiting.

Who’s in your network?  
Decision makers may be all that, but behold the role of Connectors and Supporters:  They’re often pointers to the decision makers.    Make sure you surround yourself with a healthy sprinkle of all three.

1. The Supporters.  We all need people we can count on to be there for us in the difficult times.
2. The Connector.  Those who enjoy connecting others. They get their energy and worth from connecting one to another .
3. The Conductors.  These are the ‘decision makers”. 

Walk into a room, then walk in someone else’s shoes. Remember to look at the other person.  Listen to them.  Stop thinking about what you are going to say next, or how you can fix them with your service or product.  Just be there. You might not make a sale at first blush, but you might make something more enduring: a relationship.

———————————–

Harvey Smith is the President of Carolina Business Coach.  He is a UNCC-Certified Business Coach, a Certified Behavior and Values Analyst, and past President of the International Coach Federation, Charlotte Chapter.  Email: Harvey@CarolinaBusinessCoach.com   Website:www.CarolinaBusinessCoach.com

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Did you know that the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce has a research department dedicated to helping your business secure the information it needs to solve critical problems?  If you don’t live in Charlotte, most local Chambers offer similar services.  At the time of this posting Tony Crumbley heads this department at the Charlotte Chamber.

Okay, so what the Chamber has a research department?  Well if you are willing to present your business challenges, chances are the research crew can help you zero in on the right type of data to solve your problem as well as do the legwork to get it. 

Last year I used this department  to identify all of the professional trade associations in the Charlotte market as decision makers regularly attend trade functions making these gatherings good pools to fish in.  The next day I had a spreadsheet with several hundred targetted prospects.  This list alone was worth my membership.

The Chamber’s networking opportunities are perhaps the best in the city but there is so much more at the Chamber to help your business grow.  Never fear, your Chamber Ambassador is here.

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Delivering presentations through the Charlotte Chamber or your local Chamber is an incredible way to attract new business.  You do know that everyone wants to do business with the expert, right?  If you conduct a well organized seminar guess what? You are now that expert in the eyes of every attendee. 

1. Gathering a captive audience of people (prospective clients) interested in your business
2. Positioning yourself as the local go-to provider of your product or service
3. A free venue, as I guarantee the Chamber will provide a meeting space
4. Free marketing through the Chamber’s email and print publications.  The more successful your talk, the better the Chamber looks to its members
5. An opportunity to collect attendees’ contact information to grow your mailing lists
6. The opportunity to turn excited attendees into evangelists (eg. salespeople) for your business, yes this does happen
7. Need I go on?

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